God knows how they got there, but my latest game of Q13 involved a match-up between the Harook (bird-men from Mad Robot and Khurasan, with armour from Top Gun Marketing) and a force of Weird World War Two Americans (standard WW2 US figures supported by WWW2 walkers etc from Clockwork Goblin). This was a quick pick-up game, with each side's objective being to take and hold the large silo positioned in the centre of the table.

The Harook had three platoons of infantry supported by a platoon of medium tanks and a platoon of heavy tanks. Their main advantage was that their Tech Level was two higher than the Earthlings, so they would have a + or -2 advantage on almost every single die roll: a huge advantage where spotting and shooting tanks were concerned.

Patton's Pounders, on the other hand, had only two platoons of infantry, but had three platoons of walkers (one light, one medium, and one heavy) and a platoon of Sherman tanks. In addition, they had a platoon of Hyena light jump-walkers ready to deploy anywhere on the table after a certain number of appearances of the Turn Card as reinforcements, and access to off-table artillery.

Harook

Company HQ

Big Man 1 (Level III)

2 x AT Team (2 crew each)

1 x Sniper

1 x Medic

1 x Electronic Warfare Specialist

1st Platoon

1 x Big Man (Level II)

3x Infantry Squad (each NCO, SAW plus six)

2nd Platoon

3 x Infantry Squad (each NCO, SAW plus six)

3rd Hauk Assault Platoon

3 x Hauk Mobile Assault Squad

Medium Tank Platoon

4 x Medium Tank Platform

Heavy Tank Platoon

2 x Heavy Tank Platform A

2 x Heavy Tank Platform B

Light Mortar Platoon

2 x Light Mortar Platform

Patton’s Pounders

Company HQ

Big Man 1 (Level III)

2 x Bazooka Team (2 men each)

1 x FOO in Jeep

1st Platoon

Big Man 2 (Level II)

3 x Heavy Infantry Squad

2nd Platoon

Big Man 3 (Level II)

3 x Heavy Infantry Squad

Coyote Squad

3 x Coyote Light Walker

Grizzly Squad

3 x Grizzly Medium Walker

Grizzly Support Squad

1 x Ursus Medium Walker

1 x Kodiak Medium Walker

Attached Armour

5 x Sherman Tank

Reinforcements (4 turns)

Hyena Jump Platoon

3 x Hyena Light Jump Walker

Off-Table Artillery

3 x Medium Artillery (SV6 IF Boom)

The game began with both sides keen to secure the objective. The luck of the draw went to the Americans, who managed to get a Blind there first. The Harook responded by sending one of their Blinds to occupy the rim of the large crater near the silo: a Blind that was quickly revealed as one of their Harook infantry platoons. Likewise, the Harook platoon soon spotted that the US Blind was their Grizly medium walkers.

A firefight developed between the three Grizzlie and the Harook infantry, with several bird men tossing off their mortal coil in exchange for only bit of Shock on the walkers. The Americans' confidence soon disappeared however, as a second enemy Bind revealed itself as four medium tanks.

But luck was with the Pounders: almost immediately after the Harook tanks had de-cloaked, the 'US Blinds' card appeared, allowing the Americans to bring on their Shermans behind the enemy armour's flank, with a quick volley of shots taking out the main gun on the nearest Harook tank despite the difference in technologies.

The Harook infantry were now suffering quite badly at the hands of the Grizzlies, and had been forced to move down into the crater in an attempt to gain more cover and to close the distance so that their hand-held anti-tank weapons would have more effect.

The American plan was progressing nicely, as elsewhere on the battlefield, the two heavy walkers had deployed: one (the Ursus, armed with missiles) had started shelling the Harouk light mortar platforms to some effect; the other (the Kodiak) had moved towards another Harook infantry platoon, fully intending to chew it up with its multitude of auto guns.

Not only this, but the Hyena jump walkers had reported in and were ready to land whenever the right moment appeared, with the intention being to pop them down behind the rear of the next Harook unit to appear.

Unfortunately, however, the game then turned...and turned fast!

A Harook Blind which had been slowly making its way up the field, moving from cover to cover, protected by the Harook EW countermeasures (when they weren't interfering with the American Big Men's communications!) suddenly shot forward using a Rapid Deployment card and decloaked four heavy tanks right in the middle of the US position.

Needless to say, their card came up before any of the American troops could react, and with a succession of well-placed shots (all at an additional +2 to hit due to their advanced technology) took out two of the Grizzlies and both of the heavy walkers: all getting shot 'up the jacksy' as it were!

That was, unfortunately, just about the end of the game: although I suppose there was a small chance that the Americans could still win victory, the odds of five vanilla Shermans and a single Grizzly beating four heavy and four medium hi-tech tanks were slim. Yes, Patton's Pounders could deploy six light walkers, three with a surprise advantage from jumping in...but their best armament were .50cal machine guns: the Harook heavy tanks would have thought it was raining!

Lesson learnt: don't take your eye off the Blind moving up the middle of the battlefield!

Robert Avery

POSTSCRIPT Revenge will be mine! Clockwork Goblin have just released Mudskipper medium jump walkers for their WWW2 range: Grizzlies with jump packs. Already have three of them on the painting table!